Rodri Tops Ballon d’Or 2024 Surprising Candidates After Euro 2024, Copa America
- Rodri quickly shot up in the 2024 Ballon d'Or rankings following an MVP performance for Spain at Euro 2024
- The Manchester City midfielder is now expected to rival Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior for the award
- Legit.ng looks at the outside contenders who have an outside shot at the award apart from the Real Madrid players
Even in a group sport like football, where you need everyone to play their part for collective success, there is never a lack of an individual who is a level above the rest.
Usually more talented or industrious than the rest, the individual steps up when needed most with some magical moments. A goal here, a save there. An assist here, a tackle there. And everything else used to measure football players nowadays.
Source: Getty Images
There is no telling that the 2023/2024 season saw a surge of at least 10 players who, for different reasons, can all lay claim to the 2024 Ballon d'Or title.
The vote won't be as straightforward as it was in 2022 when Karim Benzema steamrolled everyone to win the title.
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Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham have been repeatedly mentioned as the frontrunners for the 2024 Ballon d'Or title. But away from the Real Madrid duo, there is another group of players who have made late claims for a podium finish, but one or two factors might prevent them from lasting the distance.
Surprising 2024 Ballon d'Or candidates
4. Florian Wirtz - Bayer Leverkusen/Germany
Xabi Alonso might have created a cohesive, all-conquering Bayer Leverkusen team, but Wirtz somehow still managed to create headlines for himself.
The Bundesliga Player of the Season finished with 11 goals and 11 assists, where they won both domestic titles. He followed that up with two goals at Euro 2024 on home soil.
His lack of Champions League action and failure to win the Europa League will set him back, and so is the fact that Germany didn't win the Euros. But after all is said and done, the 21-year-old had a season to remember.
3. Dani Carvajal - Real Madrid/Spain
From an upstart to an experienced hand. There is nothing Carvajal hasn't seen. The veteran defender has forced himself into a list that very few players of his position have walked in successfully in the past.
You'll have to go back to 2006, which is the last time a defender won the Ballon d'Or. To break it down further, no full-back has ever won it.
But leaving aside the defender bias in this award, Carvajal has done it all for club and country. He scored in the Champions League final to become one of the few with six titles. He then scored in Germany as he played an important part in Luis de la Fuente's backline.
No player has won more major trophies than him this season.
2. Lautaro Martinez - Inter Milan/Argentina
From a defender to a position that normally 'attracts' this kind of award. Lautaro Martinez quietly went about his business in the Serie A until it dawned on everyone the gap he had left between himself and the chasing pack.
He won the Capocannoniere, beating his closest challenger by eight goals to help Inter Milan win the Scudetto.
Martinez then headed stateside and took Lionel Messi's lack of fitness personally to spur Argentina to a successful title defence. Of all the goals he scored in America, perhaps none was more important than the one in the final against Colombia.
Top scorer in Italy. Top scorer in Copa America. Three trophies. He surely deserves a strong shout, no?
1. Rodri - Manchester City/Spain
The man. The myth. The man, again.
There is a popular saying that if you watch a game, you won't see the kind of impact defensive midfielders like Rodri have. But if you watch them (players like Rodri), then you will see the game.
With a tucked-in shirt, Rodri often glides his way around the centre of the pitch, dictating how fast or quick he wants the play to go.
A master in destruction, having him chip in with over 20 goal involvements is a huge bonus. His win with Spain and the subsequent MVP award made him an instant threat to Bellingham and Vini Jr.
Euro 2024 Player of the Tournament
However, there is some disquiet as to whether he was Spain's best player in Germany. Leaving aside the two wunderkinds they have for wingers, Fabian Ruiz was near irreplaceable for De La Fuente all through.
Dani Olmo's run in the knockout stage was also something to marvel at, leaving Rodri's detractors wondering whether Euro 2024 should have had a different MVP. Not to mention the rebirth of Marc Cucurella.
This, coupled with the fact that he didn't make it past the Champions League quarters, is why we have him as one of the people who will pose a challenge to the leading two candidates but might just fall short at the line.
How much money did Spain get for winning Euro 2024?
Legit.ng has also reported on how much money Spain got for winning Euro 2024.
Spain's 2-1 victory over England on July 14 saw them become the first nation to win four European football championships.
They will take the Lion's share of the total prize kitty of €331 million.
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Source: Legit.ng
